Typically, charcoal briquettes are purchased in bulk in a large bag. A portion of briquettes is removed, generally saturated with a combustible liquid (typically a petroleum distillate), then ignited. Transferring charcoal briquettes from the bag to the grill, and arranging them on the grill can be messy, and use of a starter fluid that must be stored poses a potential fire hazard. Some efforts have been made to impregnate the charcoal briquettes with a combustible liquid to avoid the need for a separate starter fluid. However, this is expensive to make, emits volatile organic compounds in the manufacturing process, emits an offensive odor when cooking and can impart a bad taste to the food being cooked. To avoid the mess and inconvenience, combustible packages have been described that contain the charcoal in an effort to minimize handling and positioning of the charcoal for burning.
For example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,834,661 (Chaplin) and U.S. Pat. No. 2,955,029 (Foote) describe two-part containers molded from pulp having an inside wall that forms a central chimney. As the walls of the chimney section burn, the charcoal is fed into the center. The packages include ribs or recesses to provide an air passage underneath the package.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,031,277 (Strauss) discloses a complicated multipart fire kindling device made of a container with a complicated fuel insert, and charcoal or other fuel loaded into the container.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,460,377 (Kalil) discloses a container with a complex structure including an upper compartment containing charcoal or other combustible material, and a lower compartment containing a paraffin wax firelighter. A central flue extends from the lower chamber through the upper chamber.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,953,533 (Witt) describes a complexly shaped combustible package for outdoor grilling having a central chimney, and an unspecified ignitor that is lit with a fuse.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,186,721 (Campana) describes a fuel package in which an inorganic ignitor with a wick element, which produces a thermite reaction, is positioned inside the container with the charcoal.
A drawback of the foregoing fuel packages is that they require multiple separate components, central chimneys, or complicated structure for forming the package. The packages are complex, costly, have low efficacy, and present manufacturing problems and safety hazards. The irregular external shapes and other structural characteristics limit the useful visible or printing space on the package, or preclude the use of an overwrap, either of which might be used to provide advertising and coupon space. When an igniting material is packaged inside the container in contact with the charcoal, there is a danger that the ignitor material will accidentally ignite, presenting a hazard during shipping or storage. Where no ignitor is provided, some sort of starter fluid is likely needed as the burning of the cardboard structures, in and of themselves, are not likely to provide sufficient fuel to get the charcoal to a state suitable for cooking. Many of these packages are also irregularly shaped. This precludes tight stacking of multiple packages for shipping and display purposes.
Therefore, it would be desirable to provide a charcoal package with improved features that overcome the shortcomings of other fuel packages.